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Mario Kart: Gold
Mario Kart: Gold is a 2018 Mario Kart game for the Nintendo Switch that was first released on September 6th 2018 in Japan and Europe. Mario Kart: Gold is the second Mario Kart game for this platform after Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and it introduces the Plasma Gauge mechanic as well as many new tracks and racers. Gameplay New Features Plasma Gauge The new Plasma Gauge mechanic relies on a point-based system where players can earn points during a race to try to fill their Plasma Gauge. When the capacity of the gauge reaches 100, players earn an 8-second speed boost before their gauge resets to 0. The plasma in the gauge can be affected by a wide range of different actions, which are listed below. Waluigi's Slot Machine A new feature is Waluigi's Slot Machine. If the player wins a race, they will receive a Purple Slot Token which they can use in the Slot Machine. Here, they have a chance to receive a Playable Character, Vehicle Parts, Stamps or Coins. The slot machine which is seen by the player is based on Waluigi's design, however it is a Purple Toad which operates the device. In order to use Waluigi's Slot Machine, the player must first acquire a Wa Token. The player starts the game with one Wa Token but they can be obtained either through completing tasks, or by purchasing them with real money. Wa Tokens can be achieved by: *Winning a Grand Prix with a 3-Star Rank. *Beating an Expert Staff Ghost in Time Trials by at least 1 second. *Winning 10 Online Races or Battles in a row. *Purchasing them in bundles in the Nintendo Switch eShop. *Scanned amiibo have a 1% chance of yielding a Wa Token. *Gifted for free on rare occassions. On December 25th 2018, all players received three Wa Tokens for free. Once a Wa Token is obtained, players must put the token into the machine to receive their prize. Wa_Token_3.png|Wa Token Bunch $0.99 Wa_Token_9.png|Wa Token Stack $2.49 Wa_Token_22.png|Wa Token Trove $5.99 Wa_Token_45.png|Wa Token Jackpot $9.99 Stamps Mario Kart: Gold includes 100 collectible stamps that can be obtained from the Slot Machine, and beating other players' time trial times. When another player's time is beaten, the user can select a stamp from their Stamp Book to copy into their own Stamp Book. All stamps can be won from Waluigi's Slot Machine but some stamps have alternative methods of unlocking. *Character stamps can be unlocked by completing a Grand Prix whilst playing as that character. *Track stamps can be unlocked by recording a Time Trial on that track. Stamps 1 through 100 are in the base game and further stamps were released in future updates, with more released in the DLC package. Vehicle Customisation Player now have even more customisation options when it comes to vehicles. Instead of being stuck with one color, players can choose whatever color they would like their kart to be. For example, the Pipe Frame kart would normally be the same color as the racer (eg: Mario's would be red), but now players can change this, adding thousands of possibilities to vehicle design. Propellers are now the fourth vehicle part which can be customised. Each one affects underwater racing, affecting stats such as speed, off-road and traction while underwater. Game Modes Every game mode in Mario Kart: Gold has a host character which becomes playable after requirements are met within that game mode. They are all costumes for Toad. Grand Prix Grand Prix is one of the main game modes available from the start of the game. At first, players have access to only the Mushroom, Flower, Shell and Banana Cups, but by completing all four of these, they can unlock the Star, Special, Leaf and Lightning Cups. There are five modes in Grand Prix with increasing difficulty. *'50cc' - Easy Difficulty. All Karts move relatively slowly and CPU characters are restricted to a certain range of items (Green Shell, Red Shell, Blooper, Super Star, Mushroom, Bob-Omb, Ice Flower, Lightning). Players may only use Karts in this mode. *'100cc' - Normal Difficulty. Karts move faster than in 50cc and CPU characters will perform tricks and use shortcuts. They also now have access to more items (Spiny Shell, Triple Banana, Super Horn, Golden Mushroom, Metal Box, Huckit Crab). Players may only use Bikes in this mode. *'150cc' - Hard Difficulty. Karts move very quickly, with CPU characters now being able to drift and use items to protect themselves. They have access to more items (Thunder Cloud, Bullet Bill, Triple Green Shell, Boo) and players can only use Quads (ATVs) in this mode. *'Mirror Mode' - Same speed and difficulty as 150cc. All courses are flipped, so a left turn in 150cc becomes a right turn in Mirror Mode. Players and CPUs have no restrictions on vehicle choice. *'200cc' - Expert Difficulty. Karts move extremely quickly, and CPU characters can now use all items. No restrictions to vehicle choice apply. 50cc_MKG.png 100cc_MKG.png 150cc_MKG.png Mirror_MKG.png 200cc_MKG.png All_Cup_Tour_MKG.png Additionally, All-Cup Tour makes its return for the first time since Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. Up to 4 Players race on all 32 tracks in the game in a randomised order, but always starting with Rosalina Circuit and ending with Wii Rainbow Road. Grand Prix is hosted by Blue Toad. VS Race Up to 4 Players can play together on the same console. VS Races are essentially free-play. All sorts of settings are customisable by the user, including number of CPU opponents, item frequency, Engine Class, Vehicle Restrictions, item restrictions. Items can even be turned off to make for competitive races. Team Races are also possible, with up to 4 teams of three; Blue, Red, Yellow and Green teams. VS Race is hosted by Green Toad. Results points awarded are somewhat more strict than in recent iterations of the franchise, as positions 9th - 12th will recieve no points at all. Elimination Circuit A new mode that shows up alongside Grand Prix and VS Race, Elimination Circuit is an event which lasts about 20 minutes. 12 racers begin the race, but at the end of every lap (or track segment), the last racer to cross the finish line is eliminated from the event. As the number of racers decreases, the game becomes more chaotic, with enemies filling the track and portions of the course crumbling away. Elimination Circuit is hosted by Yellow Toad. Time Trials Time Trials returns to the Mario Kart franchise. This time around, multiplayer time trials are available, allowing two players to record their own time trials simultaneously. Staff Ghost Data returns as well - this time, there is only one staff ghost per track, however the difficulty is quite high and the ghosts require a lot of practise to beat, particularly on the harder tracks. All Time Trials are recorded at 150cc. *''(For a full list of Staff Ghost Data, see full article: Mario Kart: Gold/Staff Ghost Data.)'' Time Trials are hosted by Pink Toad. Battle Battles are similar to those in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, with the option of playing in teams (default) or individually (in certain modes, there is no option for individual play). This time, there are 12 Battle Courses to select from, and the introduction of several new battle modes. Battle mode is hosted by Orange Toad. Online Online mode returns, with up to four players being able to play online from the same console. Players can enter 'Regional' or 'Global' leagues. Regional leagues are exclusive to the user's country, while in Global leagues, players from all over the world can play together. The user also has the option to set up rooms to play with their friends, either exclusively with friends, or against strangers with friends. Online is hosted by Black Toad. Missions Missions return to the Mario Kart series for the first time since Mario Kart DS, as a single-player mode where players can earn Vehicles and collectable stamps. There are 8 levels, each with 8 missions and a boss fight for a grand total of 72 missions. Missions mode is hosted by Light Blue Toad. Characters Playable Racers Mario Kart: Gold features a wide range of playable characters, 20 of which are available at the start of the game. The rest have to be unlocked from completing challenges. The costumes feature returns from Mario Kart 8, with many returning costumes including Tanooki Mario. Default Baby_Mario_MKG.png| Baby Mario Baby_Peach_MKG.png| Baby Peach Toad_MKG.png| Toad Shy_Guy_MKG.png| Shy Guy Peach_MKG.png| Peach Kamek_MKG.png| Kamek (New Driver!) Koopa_Troopa_MKG.png| Koopa Troopa Bowser_Jr_MKG.png| Bowser Jr. Mario_MKG.png| Mario Luigi_MKG.png| Luigi Yoshi_MKG.png| Yoshi Birdo_MKG.png| Birdo Wario_MKG.png| Wario Waluigi_MKG.png| Waluigi Pianta_MKG.png| Pianta (New Driver!) Rosalina_MKG.png| Rosalina Bowser_MKG.png| Bowser Dry_Bowser_MKG.png| Dry Bowser Donkey_Kong_MKG.png| Donkey Kong Metal_Mario_MKG.png| Metal Mario Unlockable Baby_Luigi_MKG.png| Baby Luigi Baby_Daisy_MKG.png| Baby Daisy Baby_Rosalina_MKG.png| Baby Rosalina Toadette_MKG.png| Toadette Toadsworth_MKG.png| Toadsworth (New Driver!) Lakitu_MKG.png| Lakitu Diddy_Kong_MKG.png| Diddy Kong Daisy_MKG.png| Daisy Monty_Mole_MKG.png| Monty Mole (New Driver!) Dry_Bones_MKG.png| Dry Bones Baby_Wario_MKG.png| Baby Wario (New Driver!) Nabbit_MKG.png| Nabbit (New Driver!) Topper_MKG.png| Topper (New Driver!) Hariet_MKG.png| Hariet (New Driver!) Spewart_MKG.png| Spewart (New Driver!) Prof_E_Gadd_MKG.png| E. Gadd (New Driver!) Pauline_MKG.png| Pauline (New Driver!) Hammer_Bro_MKG.png| Hammer Bro (New Driver!) Rango_MKG.png| Rango (New Driver!) Wiggler_MKG.png| Wiggler Donkey_Kong_Jr_MKG.png| Donkey Kong Jr. King_Boo_MKG.png| King Boo Boom_Boom_MKG.png| Boom Boom (New Driver!) Pom_Pom_MKG.png| Pom Pom (New Driver!) Petey_Piranha_MKG.png| Petey Piranha Honey_Queen_MKG.png| Honey Queen Blue_Silver_Luigi_MKG.png| Blue Silver Luigi (New Driver!) Pink_Gold_Peach_MKG.png| Pink Gold Peach Funky_Kong_MKG.png| Funky Kong King_K_Rool_MKG.png| King K. Rool (New Driver!) Mii_MKG.png| Mii Varied Downloadable Baby_Yoshi_MKG.png| Baby Yoshi (New Driver!) Olimar_MKG.png| Captain Olimar (New Driver!) Dixie_Kong_MKG.png| Dixie Kong (New Driver!) Penguin_MKG.png| Penguin (New Driver!) Fox_MKG.png| Fox McCloud (New Driver!) Falco_MKG.png| Falco Lombardi (New Driver!) Lubba_MKG.png| Lubba (New Driver!) Captain_Falcon_MKG.png| Captain Falcon (New Driver!) Big_Bob-Omb_MKG.png| Big Bob-Omb (New Driver!) Cookatiel_MKG.png| Cookatiel (New Driver!) Racer Statistics Within weight classes, there are further sub-classes of character that have different stats. There are six stats in Mario Kart: Gold which all appeared in Mario Kart 8, which are Speed, Acceleration, Weight, Handling, Traction and Mini-Turbo. Vehicle Frame Sizes In addition to a weight class, each character has a size, which determines the size of the vehicle that they drive. These sizes do not necessarily correlate with weight. Unlocking Criteria Characters can be unlocked in two ways - either by completing a specific amount of races, or by another method. Once the criteria has been met, the player must beat the character in a 1 v 1 race at a random track at 150cc. Alternate Costumes Returning from Mario Kart 8, alternate costumes can be selected by choosing a character, which then gives options for costumes should they be unlocked. Most costumes are unlocked by scanning specific amiibo, but there are several other costumes that can be unlocked in other ways, such as the Toad costumes. All amiibo costumes that are unlocked from amiibo can also be unlocked from the Slot Machine after completing Missions Mode. Tracks Similarly to most other Mario Kart games, Mario Kart: Gold features 8 cups, each containing 4 tracks. The first four cups - Mushroom, Flower, Star and Special - are 'Nitro' cups, comprised of new tracks, while the other four - Shell, Banana, Leaf and Lightning - are 'Retro' cups with tracks from older Mario Kart games. Four more cups were added as DLC later. *''(Note: PAL names for tracks are displayed below North American names in smallprint)'' *Cups in are default cups that are available from the start of the game. These are the Mushroom, Flower, Shell and Banana Cups. *Cups in are unlockable cups. The Star, Special, Leaf and Lightning Cups are unlocked simultaneously when the player places 1st, 2nd or 3rd in all of the default cups. *Cups in are downloadable cups. The Falcon, Egg, Arwing and Super Bell Cups can be purchased as a part of the Mario Kart: Gold x Nintendo expansion. Retro Tracks In Mario Kart: Gold, half of the game's default tracks are ones which have previously appeared in a Mario Kart game and are returning to the franchise. 'Retro tracks', as they are called, make up 4 of the game's 8 cups. Many of these tracks have been updated with new features and aesthetic changes to make them feel both fresh and nostalgic at the same time. In the downloadable expansion, 7 out of 16 of the added tracks are retro tracks, scattered throughout the four new cups added in the expansion. Battle Courses There are a total of 12 Battle Courses in Mario Kart: Gold. 8 of these are available from the beginning and 4 must be unlocked. (* Stages marked with an asterisk must be unlocked before you can play there.) Unlocking Criteria Items Mario Kart: Gold features a selection of both new and returning Mario Kart items. Several items, such as the Thunder Cloud, make their first appearance outside of their debut. Returning New Downloadable Content Mario Kart: Gold x Nintendo is the only DLC pack for Mario Kart: Gold, which was released on January 8th 2018. The package costs $5.99 in the US. (£4.29 in UK), and includes 16 new tracks in 4 new cups, 10 new playable characters and a new battle mode. Amiibo Functionality Amiibo are functional with Mario Kart: Gold. The player can unlock alternate costumes for some characters by scanning their amiibo. See the Alternate Costumes section for information about the costumes that these amiibo unlock. Furthermore, the player can scan any other amiibo once a day to collect 25 coins. All amiibo, when scanned, have a 1% chance of giving the user a Wa Token. Demo Version On 14th August 2018, a free Demo Version was made available on the Nintendo eShop. In this version, the player is able to play a Grand Prix of the Mushroom Cup or Shell Cup. The only playable characters are Mario and Luigi, and the only kart available is the Pipe Frame. Gallery Gold_Logo.png|Logo Mario_Kart-_Gold_Boxart.png|Nintendo Switch boxart. Mario_Kart-_Gold_Cartridge.png|Nintendo Switch cartridge. Balloon_Battle_MKG.png|Icon for the Balloon Battle game mode. Coin_Runners.png|Icon for the Coin Runners game mode. Moon_Thief.png|Icon for the Moon Thief game mode. Renegade_Roundup.png|Icon for the Renegade Roundup game mode. Balloon_Blast.png|Icon for the Balloon Blast game mode. Chomp_Guardians.png|Icon for the Chomp Guardians game mode. Tyre_Icon_MKG.png|The template which is used for character icons. (free to use) Trivia *This is the first game to feature Donkey Kong Jr., Petey Piranha, Funky Kong, Honey Queen and Wiggler in Mario Kart since they were cut after their debut appearances in the series. **This makes Paratroopa and R.O.B. the only characters to have appeared in a Mario Kart game, been cut, and never returned. *This game references The Legend of Zelda series. The icon for the Wa Token Jackpot in the eShop resembles the Triforce. Additionally, the Master Cycle Zero and Hyrule Wheels unlocked with the DLC pack. *''Mario Kart: Gold'' is the first Mario game on a Nintendo console to have microtransactions. *''Mario Kart: Gold'' is the first game for the Nintendo Switch to include compatibility with the Wiimote Controller. *The image for Mario's Classic Colors was produced by , not me. *The image for Chocoomba was produced by , not me. Unused Features *Originally, the creator of Mario Kart: Gold, thepuddlecat, wanted to make a Mario Kart Arcade GP game to make the project stand out among other Mario Kart games. However, he later decided to make a traditional Mario Kart game since his ideas for the project better suited the main series. *Datamined files from the free Demo Version suggest that Paratroopa, Dixie Kong, Ice Bro. and R.O.B. were originally going to be implemented as playable characters, but were later scrapped. This was likely due to Dixie Kong being replaced by King K. Rool, and Ice Bro. being replaced by Hammer Bro. **Furthermore, there exists audio files for a character named "GR_WAR_28", however these files are unplayable. It is possible that the name refers to a character based on Wario, or from the Wario series. **In a talk with Famitsu magazine, lead developer, thepuddlecat, states that he was originally going to do a Smash Bros. Ultimate-style Mario Kart game with all playable characters returning. Eventually, the Koopalings, Paratroopa, R.O.B., Link, Villager, Isabelle and Inkling were cut, after all being considered for the game, Paratroopa and R.O.B. even having files in the game. *There are image files that depict billboards, akin to those found on Moonview Highway in Mario Kart Wii. Some of these have been redesigned and used in New Donk Junction and/or GCN Mushroom City, however several remain unused, suggesting that Moonview Highway may have been considered as a retro course at some point. *An unused music track in the game's code can be found and listened to, sounding like a remix of N64 Frappe Snowland. Category:Mario Kart (series) Category:Mario Kart Games Category:Nintendo Switch Games Category:Mario (series) Category:Mario Games Category:Button Studios Games Category:Racing Games Category:2018 Category:Mario Kart: Gold Category:Puddle's Stuff